


Glassy Sky

by moimoi_chan



Series: Because 3(+) Is Often Better Than 2 [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cutting, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Needs Neglected, Self-Denial, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-13 16:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21174980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moimoi_chan/pseuds/moimoi_chan
Summary: Tsukishima Kei wakes one morning with three soulmate marks. That's three more than the day before.He wonders, maybe, if he hides them enough, then they won't exist. So he does, and everything is perfectly fine.Until those stupid training camps happen.OR:Kei tries to desperately get away from histhreesoulmates. They, thankfully, don't let him.





	Glassy Sky

**Author's Note:**

> That one fic where time stops whenever you and your soulmate(s) are in a room together for the first time. When your eyes meet, time continues. You are now able to feel the emotions your soulmates feel, and as your bond gets stronger, so does the ability.
> 
> Prompt snagged from Tumblr.

Tsukishima Kei has never liked the idea of someone telling him what to do. He's got his whole _life_ to screw up anyway, so might as well learn something useful along the way. So the concept of soulmates has --and never is-- going to appeal to him. And he doesn't understand the _infatuation_ with finding 'the one'. What's the point in waiting for your entire life for someone who might not even want you back? 

(_Like Akiteru, God he _hates_ him for leaving. Leaving him all alone in this great big, stupid world_) 

-

He wakes up one morning with tingles _everywhere _like he somehow managed to let his entire _body_ fall asleep. He gets up groggily, checks the clock on the way to the shower (_5:04 A.M._). The tingles haven't gone away yet, and it's starting to hurt. Kei scratches absently at his left wrist, where it's starting to hurt the most. He doesn't pay attention to the way his skin gives way due to the brunt force of his nails. 

The shower water is hot, _too hot!_ and he feels it burn his skin, just a bit. It's then he notices the three distinct soulmarks decorating the patch of skin on his left wrist. He drops the loofah and yanks his arm up to his eyes. But he knows his lack of glasses is not to blame for the colorful design of golds, blues, and reds. 

He grabs the razor on impulse, the need to _destroy_ evidently there, and makes the first slice. He watches the blood drop from his wrist, and swirl slowly down the drain. And then the tingling feeling is gone. Kei finishes the rest of his shower in peace. 

-

He lies on the bed, freshly showered, all traces of blood gone and considers telling his mom that he doesn't feel so well so that he can stay home. But he's never missed a day of school, and his mother will raise an eyebrow. And then she will ask questions, and Kei will melt under the strength of her motherly gaze. And then Kei will spill all his secrets, and she'll know he's not _normal_, just like Akiteru wasn't normal. And her eyes will turn cloudy, because no matter what Kei does, he will never be enough to take the cloudiness away. 

Kei isn't hungry but his mother forces him to sit down and 'enjoy' eggs and furikake. Somberly, he picks at the little bowl of white rice. 

(_his wrist tingles again_) 

"I'm off to work Kei, have a nice day at school." His mother bends down to kiss his cheek but Kei brushes her off. Kei pretends not to see her hurt expression as she grabs her suitcase from the living room. 

"Bye," Says Kei surly, already putting his leftovers--food he'll give to the cat later on--in the fridge. 

"Try to make some friends today," Is her only response. 

-

_"Hey, Tetsurou?" _

_"Yes, my darling sweetcakes?"_

_"I...I think we've got an additional soulmate. Have you...has anything-"_

_"Oh..oh shit. Did-did you check with Koutaru yet?" _

_"N-no. Not yet, what...what if-"_

_"What if what?"_

_"...."_

_"Keiji.....Tetsurou?" _

\- 

Kei can't...he can't _deal _today. And he has no fucking idea why.

(_well, yeah, he does. it's those stupid soulmarks hidden under freshly changed bandages)_

The idiot duo pisses him off more than the normal circumstances allow. It's annoying, they're all-

"You sure you're not gonna eat Tsukki?" Tadashi asks, face scrunching up cutely. Angrily, Kei wonders why Yamaguchi can't be _his_ soulmate instead. He wouldn't be going through all of this shit right now, and he wouldn't have to worry about disappointing him, wouldn't have to worry about messing up, because of the fact that Yamaguchi knows he's a big mistake anyway. 

"I have a soulmate. Soul...uhm, _soulmates,_ actually" Comes out instead and Kei wonders _what the fuck brain_. He pushes his lunch towards Tadashi and hopes it's enough to distract him from the sheer idiocy of his brain. 

It's not. 

Tadashi looks pleasantly surprised--_how?_\--and flashes him a thumbs-up. "Really? That's amazing Tsukki! Can I see?" 

Kei is _this close_ to sticking out the underside of his wrist and remembers the slashes and cuts and how _ugly_ the marks are. He yanks his arm back at the speed of lighting. Tadashi's eyes look hurt but, luckily, he doesn't say anything. 

Tadashi has always been good at keeping quiet. 

-

_"Hey, Bokuto?" _

_"Hmm?" _

_"Do you think having this many soulmates is normal?" _

_"What do you mean 'Kasshi? Of course, it is!"_

_"No...I mean, what if they're a girl? What if they don't...y'know..swing our way?" _

-

Tadashi's presence is a calming one all on its own. The rest of his team is cumbersome and loud, and fucking _persistent_. 

"Stingyshimia, what happened to your arm?!" Of course, that loudmouth little _terror_ has to bring attention to him. He can't leave well enough alone. 

"None of your business, Shrimp. Focus on growing taller instead of worrying about me, okay?" He says in a mock endearing tone of voice, the one he knows pisses Hinata off the most. He leans down and gives the little fireball a closed eye smile too. 

It works, and soon Hinata is marching across the gym and _throwing _himself at Kei, a blurry of orange fire and tiny limbs. "W-well! Shut up! I-_ugh_!" 

"That's enough. Take a lap, both of you" And before Hinata actually lands a hit on Kei, Daichi pulls the boys apart. Hinata grumbles unhappily and shoots off around the gym. Kei jogs languidly because that's his thing. 

"Are you sure you're up for practice today, Tsukishima?" Sugawara-san asks him worriedly when the lap is over, pulling him off to the side. 

"I'm fine, Sugawara-senpai," He says formally "I apologize for antagonizing the Shrimp" 

"It's _Suga_ for the last time Tsukishima!" The setter says cheerfully before getting serious in a way only he can. "But...you'd tell us if something were happening to you, wouldn't you? I know we're not you're _ideal_ family, and after losing-" 

(_kei knows where this is going. it's always the same, using keis faults and then apologizing for them because his brother, the sun to his moon, is dead_)

"The death of my brother has nothing to do with my earlier actions," He says, bitingly cold. "I have apologized, and please, don't bring up Akiteru again" 

He doesn't miss the flash of hurt on Sugawara's face--is all he good for is hurting people?--but jogs away to where the rest of the team is huddled around Coach Ukai. He's seething with anger, and his wrist burns something fierce. 

Tadashi gives him a small, friendly smile. 

\- 

_"You're a _ _dumbass Bro. Why...would you do that?" _

_"Gah, shut up Tetsu! You're the ducking dumbass!" _

_"Ha! You said 'duck'!" _

_"Shut up Tetsu!" _

_"Hit me with that pillow and you die Bo. I mean it" _

_"Koutaru, Tetsurou?" _

_"Yes beautiful?" _

_"I'm trying to fucking study" _

_"Right...sorry"_

_"No, you're not" _

_"Tetsurou, shut up" _

_"Okay, okay!" _

\- 

Kei's stomach is an endless hurl of tumbles right now. They've been invited to a 'training camp' for a full week. The past few months have been hectic, and his arms and his stomach can prove it. 

It's a serious problem--cutting his skin like this--and Kei knows he can get into _major_ trouble for it if anyone finds out. His mom will be so disappointed. But, he can't _help_ it. He tried to stop, numerous times, but his skin tingled like it was on _fire_ and the only way to stop the burning flame from consuming him was to...was to _cut. _Kei had cut before, when Akiteru first died, but promised his mother he would stop. He hates himself for picking up such a bad habit. 

Kei wonders how he's supposed to keep a secret _this big_ from everyone.

It feels like time is slowing down upon their arrival. The breeze rustles through the grass, each individual blade, and it's _beautiful_. Each step is heavier than the last and Kei feels like he's moving toward the gym with shoes filled to the brim with lead. 

Daichi is the one to announce their arrival, voice slow and deep. 

Time truly stops then. 

\- 

_The breeze cools Kuroo's skin and is surprised--but not really--when the ball stops in midair. Koutaru looks around, startlingly confused, Akasshi by his side. _

_It's exactly like the first time, where he met Bo as the second one, where he met Kasshi. _

_His--their--soulmate pushes past his teammates, who are all frozen with faces of joy, and his face looks-. _

_He looks emotionally unprepared. He's breathing pretty heavily, chest rising and falling rapidly. His gaze is panicked, confused (angry?) He doesn't notice anyone just yet, and it's not surprising, because they're clustered together by the opposite exit and the gym is packed. _

_Their soulmate is beautiful, pale, pale, skin, honey-blond hair, soft curls towards the tips. The entirety of his left wrist is wrapped and Tetsurou can feel a heaping amount of worry from Koutaru and Keiji. _

_He notices them then, he looks up, slowly and a small sliver of recognition flashes through his eyes. _

_Time flows once again and now Tetsurou finally understands that underlying emotion of their soulmate: it's a haunting sadness and it fucking terrifies him. _

-

"Hey, Stingyshimia, who told you you could have a head start!" Hinata says with a shout, barreling into him and it does little to snap him out of his stupor. 

_Those were his soulmates_

He doesn't retort against Hinata or answer to his name from Sugawara. He just stands there, stupidly, watching one of the soulmates watch him. 

And then he fucking runs

\- 

_"Aki-nii, Aki-nii, come on and play volleyball with me!" _

_"Awww, is that your little brother?" _

_"Yeah..." _

_"Aki-nii!" _

_"Not now Kei, maybe tomorrow" _

_"Y-you promised! You...you big jerk!" _

_"Kei!" _

_-_

Kei's breath is staggering and he practically collapses on the small sink. God, he's so _scared_. It's not normal for someone to have this many soulmates. His reflection tells him everything he already knew: 

_I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready for any of this, I want to go home. I want Akiteru_. _I want- _

"Tsukki?" When Yamaguchi opens the door, his face is one of relief. "You just can't run off like that! You had poor Suga all-" 

"T-they're here, Tadashi" He walks stiffly toward his best friend, who lets out an "Oh" in surprise. 

"That's good right, Tsukki? Tsukki? How do you feel?" 

"I-I _can't_ Tadashi. _Akiteru_, I...I want Akiteru" He starts sobbing then, clutching onto Tadashi with all he's worth. His olive haired friend rubs his back and tells him to let it out. 

Kei's like this--vulnerable, open --for thirty minutes before he realizes he has no more tears to shed. They've plunked down to the floor maybe ten minutes ago, and Kei still holds on to Tadashi. 

"Are you going to tell them?" 

"Just Coach, please. C-can you do it? I..I want to go lie down" _Dream of Akiteru, wish Akiteru were here_

"Of course Tsukki. I'll bring you dinner too, okay?" 

"I won't have a stomach for it," Kei says stiffly, wiping his tears on the back of his hand. 

"Oh alright. But you're eating a big breakfast tomorrow morning" They both know he won't.

But Kei promises anyway.

\- 

_"Yamaguchi! Have you seen Tsukishima? I'm worried about him" _

_"Ah..no Yachi-san. He...he doesn't want to be bothered" _

_"You...please tell me what's wrong" _

_"I...Yachi...I can't" _

_"It's okay Yamaguchi. I understand"_

-

The door to the Karasuno room creaks open slowly and Kei sits up at the speed of lightning. He clutches the blanket to his chest and his breathing speeds up, anxiety filling him to the brim. 

It's his soulmates. 

The one with soft black hair and dimming green eyes if holding a plate of food in one hand, and the hand of his black-haired mate in the other. He flinches back--he's never flinched a day in his life, what are they _doing_ to him?--when they take a step toward him. 

"We're sorry for scaring you....meeting a bunch of soulmates at the same time can be overwhelming," The food bearer says in the calmest voice at the same time the owl horned one says--quite loudly--, 

"It's dinner time and I don't think you've eaten yet" 

It's enough to bring a small thing of a smile and an eye roll to his face. "My eating habits don't concern you" 

"Ohohoho? Pretty gutsy for someone who ran at the sight of his soulmates" Kei is quiet, and fingers the marks through his bandages. 

"_Tetsurou!_" Whisper-yells the owl boy.' Tetsurou raises his hands in surrender. The calmly spoken angel hands him a bowl of rice and grilled fish. The smell wafts up and into his nose, _smells good_. 

"I apologize for his behavior. My name is Akasshi Keiji, that's Bokuto, and I'm well aware you know who Kuroo is" Akasshi says as Kei lifts an experimental bite of rice to his lips. 

"And now that we're soulmates, we should get to know each other more!" Bokuto all but grins and prepares to flop himself beside Kei. 

"These are the Karasuno rooms. Other teams aren't allowed in here" He says coldly and sets the bowl of rice down after only a few bites. Kuroo eyes the bowl--and Kei--suspiciously. He turns over on his side and tries to calm his breathing. 

After a few minutes of silence, his soulmates--finally--leave. 

\- 

_"He's pretty rude, huh Tetsu?" Bokuto asks, clambering onto his soulmate. _

_"Yeah...he's a rude little shit" _

_"I, I think he's grieving," Keiji says from Boukuto's left. "His eyes, they're so sad" _

_Kuroo puts his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, I thought so too" _

\- 

"Glad to see your in good health Tsukishima. We missed you yesterday" Daichi says instead of a welcome the next morning at breakfast. Guilt wrenches in his chest. 

"I'm sorry for my sudden absence, Daichi-sama. I was not feeling well" _I was in the middle of a panic attack with my best friend in the bathroom_.

"It's no problem! We're just glad to see you're well" Yachi says, coming out from the kitchen, where the other managers were preparing breakfast. The Karasuno table goes into great detail about the events he missed yesterday, and it's almost enough to distract him from the feeling of someone burning holes into the back of his head. 

Tadashi singles a subtle, _is that him__?_ when Hinata and Kageyama get into a brawl. 

He nods. 

-

_"Tsukki's not that bad y' know" _

_"What are you talking about?" _

_"Today, we had a little, and we had a good, bonding conversation. Did you know he likes strawberries?" _

_"Oh?"_

_"Yeah...I like talking to him" _

_"You like talking to anyone with a mouth Bokuto" _

_"Y-yeah, but I like talking to Tsukki a lot too!" _

_"Better than me, Tetsurou, your best bro?" _

_"You're my best bro, bro. What kind of question is that?" _

_"Tsukshima can be your 'best bro' too Bokuto" _

_"Well, duh. He's my soulmate. He's everything to me" _

-

Kei regrets wearing long sleeves because running up these hills _every time they lose_ is starting to become a major pain in his ass. And he can hardly concentrate, because the next match is up against Nekoma, and, oh, there's _Kuroo_. And his smug little grin is starting to annoy the shit out of him, and he's happy when he gets four successful blocks against him. 

They still lose though. And they're back at the hill again. Kei gives up and sits at the bottom of the hill. 

"Tsukki?! Are you okay, do you want me to bring you a towel, some water?" Tadashi asks and he shakes his head. A breeze flows and pushes through his body. He lays against the hill, and simply let's go. Akiteru flashes through his head once or twice, both happy memories. Good memories. _Happy_ times before life became so insolvable and Kei does not shed a tear or two. 

Kei hears footsteps. He cracks an eye open and is met with the blue sky above. "Tadashi...I thought I told you I didn't need a towel" 

"I'm not Tadashi! " Kei sits upright and makes room for one very noisy Bokuto--more like avoids being crushed--. The spiker collapses down beside him and hands him a gray and yellow water bottle. _Fukudorandi Academy_. 

"I can see that now, obviously," He says dryly, and gingerly takes a sip from the bottle. The other isn't hurt by his tone, in fact, he grins and lays down. His eyes are vibrant and the grin is contagious. 

"You're a pretty good blocker Tsukki," He says after a while, and Kei refrains from spitting water out. "I was watching you guys play against Nekoma" 

"My name is _Tsukishima_. And no one permitted you to ogle our matches, you should practice for your own" Kei says sharply, but, oddly, it has little bite. 

Bokuto...he, he _laughs_. "You're funny Tsukki!" 

"How do you even know my name?" He groaned out 

"Tetsurou asked your little friend" _Traitor,_ Kei can't help but think ruefully. 

"I did what now? Oh, hey Tsukki" 

"Is everyone going to ignore my given name?" He asks the air because there's no use talking sense into those idiots, he's learned over the past few days. 

Something else he's learned, he doesn't actually mind being around them. 

\- 

_"Now Kei. Apologize. Apologize to your brother right now" _

_"N-no" _

_"Kei, it's okay-"_

_"All you do is spend time with your stupid soulmate! You never have any time for me!" _

_"Kei.....I'll always have time for you"  
_

_"No, you don't! Aki-nii, I wish your soulmate would die!" _

_"Kei!" _

-

"You don't eat a lot" The issue of Tsukishima Kei's eating habits are--once again--addressed on a night on the hill where he shared the water bottle with Bokuto. 

"What is it with you three getting in my personal habits?" Kei asked sarcastically as he watched Bokuto and Kuroo inhale food. 

"It's just.....your're family now Tsukishima-san. We care" _You're family now_. It does a lot more than Akasshi will ever realize. Being cared for does _something_ to Kei because he picks up the bowl of rice and begins to eat. Akasshi watches him carefully and pins him down with a gaze when he sets the half-full bowl down on the grass. 

"You've got to eat the whole thing Tsukki! You can't grow if you don't eat!" Bokuto barrels into Kei and then cuddles him to his chest. 

"He'll cuddle you to death if you won't finish eating," Kuroo says, plopping down on Kei's other side. "We both will" 

"Fine. I'll fucking eat" He finishes in fifteen minutes, albeit uncomfortable because his soulmates watch him the entire time( as if he can throw away the food when they sit like that, gazes all hopeful, like Kei, _isn't_ some big disappointment). "Are you happy now?" 

"Your health is important to us Tsukki," Kuroo said seriously, and suddenly the air had changed. 

"And if there was something going on you would tell us, right Tsukishima-san?" Akasshi asks, eyes holding all the secrets to the universe. Kei grows a little uneasy, and his mind flits to his wrist. The scars are all big ugly welts now, and he hardly feels the urge to utterly destroy himself. They couldn't have noticed, _right_? He'd kept it bandaged the whole time, and on top of that, he only wore long sleeves. They surely _couldn't_ notice when his own family didn't. 

Kei swallows and nods. "Yeah" 

\- 

_"Oi! Freckles!" _

_"Kuroo-san? Ah, hello. Tsukki isn't here, is there something I could help you with?" _

_"What's up with his wrists? Why does he keep them covered all the time?" _

_"Ahhh....t-that's something you should ask him right?" _

_"Please. Yamaguchi. I'm worried about him"_

-

Like everything good in life, Kei has to go and _tarnish_ it with his existence. He's in the bathrooms, heading to the shower--he was so sure he was alone--when Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akasshi pop up out of literally _nowhere_. 

"_Kei_" Kuroo grabs his wrist, the left one, and holds it up for all of them to see. Like he wasn't aware of the things he'd done to himself. "_What the fuck is this?" _

They're not on a first-name basis, but Kei is frightened enough by his tone to let it slide. Fear washes over him, and regret because Bokuto is looking at him like a kicked puppy and it _hurts_."I-" 

"Tetsurou, you're scaring him-" Akasshi says lowly, sticking his arm out but Kuroo slaps it away. 

"Do you hate us that much Tsukki? That..did you want to get rid of us?" Bokuto says, quietly, broken in a way he didn't know he could do. 

"I..no, I didn't mean to-" 

"Oh _cut the bullshit Kei_!" And Kuroo is angry, so, so angry and Kei--once again--has managed to ruin everything good for himself. "You know what? I'm done. I'm leaving."

_leaving. just like akiteru. just like-_

It's last straw and the floodgates open, and Kei is ugly sobbing, his right wrist blocking his face. 

\- 

_"Kei, sweetie, it's not your fault" _

_Kei sobs into the chest of his mother, the open casket in front of them. _

_"Baby, you couldn't do anything. I don't blame you, okay? Mommy doesn't blame you" _

\- 

"T-Tsukishima, are you alright?" Bokuto pulls him into a hug, cuddling the boy to his chest as Kei cries. Akasshi and Tetsurou look guilty but leave it to BO. He's the best hugger, after all. 

"It's...it's not my fault, right?" Kei says softly between sobs. 

"What's not your fault? Tsukki..._Kei_, talk to me!" 

"Akiteru's dead! It's my fault. Now I have _three_ soulmates and Aki-nii has _none_! And...and I was selfish. I told Aki-nii to _die. _I...I don't deserve...I deserve to _die_!" He wails and curls his fists into Bokuto's shirt. Tetsurous arms are on him in a second, Keiji not soon after and they do the only thing they can do. 

_They hold_ him. _But when the tears are over, Kuroo quite seriously grips him by the shoulders and kisses him. _

_"It wasn't your fault baby" He whispers _

\- 

Kei is well aware that Kuroo (and co) choose the worst moment to ask for his number. The entirety of the Karasuno team is on the bus, and it's so nerve-wracking that he can feel their stares from _all the way over here_. He pulls out his phone and exchanges it with each of his soulmates in turn. 

"Bye Tsukki! Come to Tokyo soon okay?" Bokuto says and kisses him on the lips. His mouth tastes like watermelon candy. 

"Yeah, I'll miss you Moonshine" Kuroo kisses him too holds his hand for a solid twenty seconds. And, as if Kuroo knows the who Karasuno bus has their faces pressed against the window, the middle blocker slips off his hoodie and doesn't stop staring until Kei is enveloped in warmth and the smell of _Kuroo Tetsurou_. 

He's thankful that Keiji pecks his lips chastely and wishes him a safe ride home. 

The bus erupts in hoots and hollers--at the same time his face erupts in red--and Tadashi gives him a knowing smile. 

"Shut up Yamaguici" And if Kei spends the rest of the ride home snuggling into a red Nekoma hoodie, sipping from a Fukodorandi water bottle and listening to one 'Keiji's Playlist', then it makes all the difference. 

\- 

**To: Dumbass Groupchat **

**From: Tetsu **

_ **Have fun Tsukki! Here's one hot selfie of me so that you're nights aren't** _ ** lonely~**

**[picture recieved] **

**To: Dumbass Groupchat**

**From: Kei **

_ **It's four in the fucking morning. My nights are already over. Go to sleep. ** _

**To: Dumbass Groupchat **

**From: Kou**

_ **Yeah, Tetsu. Go to sleep! ** _

**To: Dumbass Groupchat **

**From: Kasshi **

_ **Why are any of you awake in the first place? Bo, Tesurou, you two have big tests. Go to sleep. ** _

_Kei goes to sleep, because hell, he's got a test in the morning too. And because he's more well behaved that Bokuto and Co. _

**Author's Note:**

> If you didn't pick up on it, Akiteru bonded with his soulmate so strongly, that when his soulmate died, Aki did too.
> 
> (P.S. I kinda rushed the ending)  
(P.P.S. Leave Kudus)  
(P.P.P.S The link is for if you want to request a story https://forms.gle/Z4NhyYL6YNDBqWTGA )


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